After a series of meetings in the Riyadh, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters at a joint news conference that Assad must understand that recent scud missile attacks on regime foes in the city of Aleppo would not be tolerated by the international community and that he had lost all claim to be Syria’s legitimate leader.

Ah yes, to be a "legitimate leader," like the Saudi king, who is in charge because he was elected, er, because he was uniquely talented, er, because he allowed his people the liberty to run their lives, er, because ... well, because he was one of the many geriatric sons of the guy who originally seized power decades ago. Yes, speaking of "legitimacy"!

One wonders how the "legitimate leader" of Saudi Arabia would react if the people started protestingthere as in Syria. There's no indication that the Saudi royals would be any more inclined to yield power than was Bashar al-Assad and his cronies. And if there ever is shooting in the streets of Riyadh, would Washington remember its professed commitment to democracy?

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